Herald-Tribune is your partner in Rebuilding America – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers. If local news is important to you, consider becoming a digital subscriber to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.***

Nineteen-hundred twenty-five was a momentous year in Florida.

The Sunshine State had just gotten its first taste of the boom times that would define its future: a powerful real estate market drawing northerners looking to invest or for a place of their own in the sun.

It also was a time of railroads, lines that connected Florida from top to bottom, and the beginning surge of what would become the beautiful, sandy and artsy Southwest Florida, home to Fort Myers, Naples and Sarasota.

Four years earlier, on May 14, 1921, Sarasota County was carved out of Manatee County and incorporated as its own community. Manatee, the much older sibling, was founded on Jan. 9, 1855 (when first created, Manatee included all of what is now Sarasota County, Charlotte County, DeSoto County, Glades County, Hardee County, Highlands County and part of Lee County).

#apolloLink{color:#000;background-color:#F4BE11;text-shadow: none;padding: 8px 15px 10px;font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-weight: 600;border-radius:10px;}

Read all of our Sarasota-Manatee Rebuilding America stories.

For the last 95 years, the Herald-Tribune has been here to document the stories and the growth of the two great communities of Sarasota and Manatee counties, through the financial crisis of the 1920s and 1930s to World War II and the subsequent Florida boom to Korea to Vietnam to the great Space Race of the 1960s and the birth of Disney to the Great Recession until now, when our state, nation and planet face another momentous time.

The Herald-Tribune has always been here to help readers navigate troubled waters and were here to help the businesses that serve as the backbone of this great community get back to what they do best.

Weve been here every step of the way through the COVID-19 crisis, documenting the first cases, telling you how to remain safe and partnering with local foundations and nonprofits to raise millions of dollars to help those folks most impacted.

In this Rebuilding America section, we have partnered with some of the regions most prominent businesses to document how they have dealt with the crisis and to ask them to stand beside us as we navigate our way out of it.

The Herald-Tribune is proud to be the trusted local source for news and information for Sarasota and Manatee residents, and we stand alongside our local businesses as we begin reopening.

#apolloLink{color:#000;background-color:#F4BE11;text-shadow: none;padding: 8px 15px 10px;font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-weight: 600;border-radius:10px;}

Read Rebuilding America stories from around the country.

The increase in web traffic and audience engagement during these difficult and challenging times has been explosive. Thats why this project is so vital. It zeroes in on focused economic categories, both in print and online.

During this difficult time, weve been been amazed at the generosity and deep sense of community weve experienced from both a personal and professional perspective. Were even more impressed with the adaptability and creatively of local business owners and those keeping our health and safety top of mind.

For example, the way Sarasota Memorial Hospital has kept the community informed about the virus and the importance of emergent and general health has been inspiring.

The creative way other local businesses have kept their employees working highlights local market leadership. Restaurants are a key economic driver for employment and commerce. Many have gotten extremely creative from selling grocery baskets at Pier 22 to many carry-out options from downtown restaurants like Duvals.

Sarasota residents and businesses have been deeply impacted by the pandemic. Being a community that relies heavily on tourism and residential seasonality, the timing was particularly difficult. As we begin thinking about traveling safely, we are so fortunate to have a local air travel option with Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The automotive industry was one of the first to respond and adjust to our new environment with consideration for those impacted. Local dealers adapted business practices for both sales and service with drop-off and pick-up options in order to keep their employees and customers safe.

Building is an essential business. People are still buying and selling homes. As we take a deep look at residential building, local malls, real estate companies and new homebuilders are taking advantage of great rates from local financial institutions.

One positive note is that we are all spending more time with our loved ones as we work from home. This has given us time to evaluate our home environments. More than ever, people are looking into comfort, functionality and style for their space.

From home offices and furniture upgrades to even more extensive kitchen and bath remodels and home exterior improvements, like landscaping, pools and lanais, people are taking advantage of the work-from-home requirements to engage with contractors and accept deliveries.

Many of these businesses have joined with us as we innovate as well with Best of HT Preps. We had to pivot in order to celebrate student athletes in our communities. Rather than an in person banquet and awards show, we will produce an on-demand ceremony on June 18, 2020. We are seeing the same type of innovation with educators at all levels from elementary to college.

For 95 years, the Herald-Tribune has helped its readers and advertisers to see the light. We have no doubt that when we fully emerge from this latest test, Sarasota and Manatee counties will be stronger than ever and also wiser and more determined to succeed in creating a better community for our residents and their families, and a great place to do business.

None of this is happening in a vacuum. In fact, its quite the opposite.

Gannett newspapers across Florida are collaborating on this effort 23 of them to be exact from Pensacola to Jacksonville to West Palm Beach to Sarasota. Collectively, we reach a digital audience of 9 million, nearly 60 percent of Florida adults each month and 2 million readers in print.

But this effort is even bigger than Florida. Its happening across the 260 local brands that form the USA Today Network, which stretches from California to Maine to, of course, the Sunshine State, and most everywhere in between. Thats an audience of 173 million.

If you havent joined us in recent days in Rebuilding America, there is still plenty of opportunity to do so. This is just the beginning. We will be carrying this theme throughout the recovery and its a great opportunity for you to reach your customers and assure them youre back in business.

Were here for you like we have been for the last 95 years and well be here for the next 100.

Matthew Sauer, the executive editor and general manager of the Herald-Tribune, can be reached at matthew.sauer@heraldtribune.com. Stacia King, the media companys sales director, can be reached at sking@heraldtribune.com.

Read the original:
Herald-Tribune is your partner in Rebuilding America - Sarasota Herald-Tribune